Canine Conversations

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla talks about her experience and advice on how to “make it” as a K9 Conservationists handler. Call to action: Join us on Patreon or make a monthly donation. Links Mentioned in the Episode: Lonely Conservationists Essay You can support the K9 Conservationists Podcast by joining our Patreon at patreon.com/k9conservationists. K9 Conservationists Website | Merch | Support Our Work | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla and Charles speak with Nate Marshall. They talk about bats, wind farms, and why you should care about the conservation of bats!  Episode suggestion: Win friends, not battles.  Call to action: Build a bat box.  What should we like about bats?  They are around everywhere in multiple types of ecosystems  They eat insects, fruits, fish, crustaceans, and blood  The variation and diversity in bats is truly astonishing  1 in 5 mammals in the world is a species of bat  How many different species?  There are over 1400 species, the number still increasing due to discoveries Are they nocturnal?  Not all species are! Some are, others are day-dwelling  Same with echolocation; not all of them do it  What do they eat?  Mosquitos and other mosquito sized insects, which helps our ecosystem  They also eat other pests, like moths  Fruit; they help disperse seeds  Nectar; they help poll

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla introduces Dr. Charles van Rees. Charles has been on the show before, but will now make a more regular appearance as K9 Conservationists new Conservation Correspondent.

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla talks to Laura Holder of Conservation Dogs Collective. They chat all about puppies!  Episode suggestion: Stay curious by being more “dog”! For 90 seconds a day, find joy in little things and slow down!  Call to action: Update your Amazon Smile to benefit K9 Conservationists. What are the pros and cons of getting a conservation dog as a puppy?  Pros: Having a dog from a puppy gives you more control over their learning and getting them started on detection-related development early  Cons: It is a huge time and monetary investment. There is also no guarantee they will end up working as a conversation dog.  What are you looking for when looking for a breeder?  It is a good idea to interview breeders Look for physical health, how the dogs are kept, titles, bred for related work (service work, police dogs, hunting, etc.)  How to pick a puppy from a litter?  If the breeder doesn’t pick for you, it would be best to see some video of

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla discusses the ins and outs of becoming a K9 Conservationist! Episode suggestion:  It’s okay to not finish a book if you aren’t liking it. Call to action:   Check out our new merch!! Suggested by Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, create a 3-way Venn diagram of how to get involved. Top circle is “what you love.” Circle off to the left of what you’re good at Lastly, a circle to the right of what the world needs. In the center could be some ways you can help save the planet, save some dogs, or be a k9 conservationist. Smaller ways to help Be a more eco friendly dog owner by supporting local, reducing your carbon footprint during travel, etc. Volunteer with organizations that protect the land or start your own Getting in the field of conservation detection: Your first 2 steps no matter what are similar if you want to be a handler: learn scentwork/handling/dog behavior and familiarize yourself with field biology and survey techniques Volunteer

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla speaks with Jeff Rennickle. They talk about inspiring others to care about the land and Jeff’s experiences with photographing the world and teaching at the Conserve School. Episode suggestion: Give yourself grace for what you’re capable of right now. Call to action: Find a place that speaks to you, visit it often, and find out what you can do to get involved in its protection. What is wilderness? The wildness of our planet and the existence of everything in it The preservation of the world There's always two people in a photograph: photographer and viewer Words and photos have the power to inspire people. Why does it matter? “Knowledge without love will not stick, but teach someone to love something first, then knowledge will follow.” - John Burroughs What are some of the lessons you’ve learned from working with adults vs children? There are a lot of similarities There are subtle difference in pacing, assumption of understanding, etc., but you are s

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla speaks with Brooke Mitchell-Norman. They talk about tourism, communication, education, and how all of that relates to conservation! Episode suggestion: Don't sacrifice what you want now for what you want most of all. Call to action: Support a local small business that donates or shares some of its profits with a cause you care about. How does travel benefit conservation? When it is done right, it puts an exact value dollar on a live and thriving wildlifeWhen your favourite species is a top predator, it is in your genes to want to kill it to protect yourself There are very few things in conservation that places monetary value on wildlife, nature, and intact ecosystems A significant number of people are directly and indirectly supported through tourism Can you tell us about some of the ways that travelers can not just support local communities and put value on live animals but also directly contribute to community science? Do your research Check the websit

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla speaks with Dr. Charles Van Rees about data. They discuss the ins and outs of working with data and how to turn data into information scientists can use.Episode suggestion: Take the time to see, smell, and notice things outside! Call to action: Check out ebird, inaturalist or seek! What is/are data? Information that we can use for inference and for learning things Data doesn’t necessarily “teach you things” but it helps you learn an answer to something you’re looking for Examples of data for conservation science Occurrence data: evidence of the occurrence of a species in a specific area Abundance data: identifying and counting every individual of every species in a given sector Time series data: a series of data points indexed in time order Monitoring: the process of watching the changes and patterns in the species Challenges in data collection Biases in both humans vs dogs Dogs have less of a visual bias than humans as they rely on olfactory vs

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla speaks with Dr. Charles Van Rees about data. They discuss the ins and outs of working with data and how to turn data into information scientists can use. Episode suggestion:  Take the time to see, smell, and notice things outside! Call to action: Check out ebird, inaturalist or seek! What is/are data? Information that we can use for inference and for learning things Data doesn’t necessarily “teach you things” but it helps you learn an answer to something you’re looking for Examples of data for conservation science Occurrence data: evidence of the occurrence of a species in a specific area Abundance data: identifying and counting every individual of every species in a given sector Time series data: a series of data points indexed in time order Monitoring: the process of watching the changes and patterns in the species Challenges in data collection Biases in both humans vs dogs Dogs have less of a visual bias than humans as they rely

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla and Marissa Martino get personal discussing the woes of conservation work when handling your emotions while working! They discuss ways to balance how you’re feeling while trying to make the job as positive as possible for your K9 partner! Episode suggestion:  Just train the dog! Call to action:   Follow us on social media! Reach out to Kayla if you’d like to volunteer with helping put together a scentwork course! Links Mentioned in the Episode: None Where to find Marissa: Website | Book | Podcast | Connection Summit | Instagram | Facebook You can support the K9 Conservationists Podcast by joining our Patreon at patreon.com/k9conservationists. K9 Conservationists Website | Merch | Support Our Work | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla Fratt talks about considerations when choosing a conservation detection dog, sourcing a dog, and screening a dog.  Episode suggestion: “Don't sacrifice clarity at the altar of generosity”  Call to action: Join pateron!  Discussed in this Podcast:  Considerations:  Make a list of your must-haves from a lifestyle perspective to help which type of dog works best for you. This can be anything from breed type, grooming requirements, size, etc. You should also make a list of “nice to have” and “bonus points”. These are types of things that aren’t a must have, but are still of some importance to you. These are usually aesthetic type desires.  You also need to consider your work lifestyle, whether your dog can handle being off leash around wildlife, water, other dogs, people, etc.  Consider if you’d want to do outreach work at events with your dog. Would a social dog be more ideal, etc.  Travel is something to consider. A dog

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla Fratt talks about off-leash etiquette in order to keep your dogs, yourself, others, and the environment safe. Discussed in this Podcast: Off-leash is a privilege and owners carry a responsibility when utilizing that privilege Ensure your dog has solid recall, especially around distractions Look for signage; follow the law - if the trail or area is on leash, there’s a reason for it When you arrive at a trail, observe your surroundings Are there lots of cars indicating lots of people? Do the cars have bike racks? If so, is your dog reliable around bikes? When in doubt, use a long line Not only do you have to think about the safety of other people and dogs, you also have to think about the environment Your dog should not chase any wildlife; even if they don’t catch it, that is undue stress on wildlife Do research on what animals live in the environment you’re in to ensure yours and the wildlife’s safety Links Mentioned in the Episode: N

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla discusses the structure and welfare of a conservation detection dog! This episode is heavily inspired by Sarah Stremming’s Cog Dog Radio Podcast Episode titled “Drive, Deprivation, and Desperation”. Be careful to not label desperation or deprivation as drive Limited your dogs access to toys or other fun in order to “build drive" is a welfare issue Try not to build up an obsession with the reinforcers to best avoid desperation and deprivation Welfare is appropriate food, enrichment, exercise, and anything that would meet the dog's needs. Just because your dog is working doesnèt mean they shouldn’t get these needs met. They still need to “just be a dog”. “If your dog doesn’t want to work anymore just because you’re giving them a good life off duty, you need to reassess both your training plans and your welfare plans for your dog.” Modifying incentives isn’t bad, structure can be important to your dog’s health and safety Links Mentioned in the Episode: Cog

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla discusses what it is like working with a teenage dog and gives tips and tricks to get your young dog in the world of conservation work! Start small. Niffler searches in small plots, each search only commencing around 15 minutes at a time. While conservation detection can be unpredictable, it’s best to find work that will be highly rewarding. If there aren’t as many finds as expected, make sure you are prepared to look after your dog’s welfare to make it a good and rewarding experience for them. Keep it extra fun! Don’t be afraid to call it off! Whether it’s cutting a search or day short, or just deciding it’s time to go back to training and start work at another date, it’s okay to call it off and take steps back or take breaks when needed. “Don’t prioritize success today at the expense of your dog’s long term career” Watch for changes over time, and expect them to happen Not all teenagers are going to be ready to work Use “gimme’s” as needed if there

In this episode, we discuss a day in the life of a conservation detection dog handler on a variety of projects that Kayla has worked on.

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla Fratt speaks with Dr. Simon Gadbois to talk about signal detection theory and his conservation work! Discussed in this Podcast: Dr. Gadbois work in Nova Scotia What is signal detection theory? Signal detection theory is a means to measure the ability to differentiate between information-bearing patterns and random patterns that distract from the information. It has been around for a long time Mostly used for physical stimuli vs olfactory stimuli It wouldn’t be useful for clear distinctions or errorless data However, signal detection theory needs a clear yes or a clear no What’s the potential problem with proportion or percentage correct data as performance? What’s the problem with our basic lineup for training and testing detection dogs as it relates to SDT? How can trainers at home put this to use with their dogs? Links Mentioned in the Episode: Signal Detection Theory Paper Memorial University d’Prime Calculat

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla Fratt speaks with Dr. Nathaniel Hall to talk about lengthy searches for conservation dogs! Discussed in this Podcast: How does a dog’s sensitivity to scent affect their work? All sensory systems are learned behaviors, so there will be genetic differences and learning history differences. Because of this, what one dog smells will not be the exact same as what another dog smells. It depends on the concentration of the odor on how sensitive your dog will be to the odor. Their threshold of detection of a certain scent will increase if the concentration is reduced over time. Motivation for long searches? Performance is strongly dependent on the frequency in which targets appear Reinforcing “all clear” signals can help with motivation in the event that there aren’t going to be a lot of targets for them to find. It is important to not over-reward for “all clear” because then “all clear” can start to become more rewarding than finding the scent. Make your “all clear”

In this episode of K9 Conservationists, Kayla Fratt speaks with Laura Holder to introduce Laura’s Conservation Dogs Collective! Discussed in this Podcast: How did you get into conservation detection dog work? What spurred the change to Conservation Dogs Collective? What are your goals with CDCI? What upcoming or recent projects have your finder-keeper teams worked on? What work are you doing to engage the dog-loving community and educate the public? I’d love to talk a bit about dog selection and training methods. Links Mentioned in the Episode: None Where to find Laura Holder and CDCI: Conservation Dogs Collective | Instagram | Facebook You can support the K9 Conservationists Podcast by joining our Patreon at patreon.com/k9conservationists. K9 Conservationists Website Go Fund Me

Today I have the joy of talking to Kim Brophey about ethology. If you listen to dog podcasts the way I do, you’re probably already a bit obsessed with Kim. Today we’re going to dive into how we can use ethology to better select and meet the needs of our working dogs. Links Mentioned in the Episode: Dopamine Article Pop Psychology Podcast Beyond the Operant with Dr. Simon Gadbois Texas hounds that chase down poachers National Geographic, Gene 7R and Restlessness Jaak Panksepp TED Talk Where to find Kim Brophey: Website Meet Your Dog Facebook You can support the K9 Conservationists Podcast by joining our Patreon at patreon.com/k9conservationists. K9 Conservationists Website Go Fund Me

Today I have the joy of talking to Dr. Susan Friedman about the hierarchy of behavior change for dog training. This is so central to what we do - ensuring that our dogs are excellent at the work they do while maintaining the highest quality of life possible for them. I am SO excited to get to this interview, but first I have to remind you all that our field vehicle repair fundraiser is ongoing. As I record, the van is getting repairs for several damaged cylinders as well as fuel injectors - costs will total around $16,000. Find that link in the show notes on K9Conservationists.org. Patreon plug but no reviews. Dr. Friedman intro What is the hierarchy of behavior change? What drove you to outline it? How can we use this in working dog areas? Why does it matter? How do you address questions about efficacy, especially with working animals? Can this actually enhance the quality of work that our dogs do, aside from just enhancing their quality of life? Thank you so much for listening. I hope you lear